The death penalty has been supported by the argument that it is a far better means of deterring criminal actions. However, the evidence does not attest to the practical value of the death penalty as opposed to alternative mechanisms like life imprisonment. In the United States, recently, the rates of crimes in states that use the death penalty and those that have it, historically shown no differences. Contrarily, the death penalty has been cited as an incitement to grievous criminal harm. The death penalty is challenged by the argument that espouses society’s duty to protect life and that individuals have a right to live. 

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